Elysium
by Lady Drama
Summary: Life and death are full of surprises. Zoe Nightshade encounters the man she loves to hate in the Underworld. The story of her journey from the moment she died till she reached Elysium. COMPLETE.


**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians._

**Beta: **_PoisonLadyAnissina_

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She had always expected it to hurt when she saw him again. That small corner of her heart that she knew still belonged to him. The piece that throbbed painfully when she saw Anaklusmos in Percy's hands, the one that longed to scream in pain whenever she heard his name being whispered in admiring tones by foolish demigods who knew _nothing – _that still itched to tear him apart to make him suffer the agony he had subjected her to_._ She had been a broken spirit when he had contemptuously cast her off. The poor, forgotten girl who had fallen for a hero who had his mind set on greater goals and ambitions than love. Her family had cast her off for her perfidy. She was alone.

But then Lady Artemis had arrived. The goddess' cool tone as she delivered her offer had been a balm to Zoe's still smarting ego. She had already faced both sympathy and scorn and disliked both equally. To be spoken to as a young woman in command of her own life rather than an erring child, to be faced with someone who neither ignored nor pondered over the biggest mistake of her life, to be free once more to make her own choices – It was both relief and pain.

The years that followed at Lady Artemis' side as her Lieutenant were full of adventure that she had not known existed. The gates of her sisters' garden had shielded them from the world and Zoe was exhilarated by the new emotions she discovered outside. There was ecstasy in hunting under the light of the full moon, frustration when a prey escaped, sadness when she encountered a girl who had been rejected as she was, joy when she beheld her new family, pain when she recalled her old.

Her tumultuous lifetime flashed before her eyes as she entered Elysium. Her every nerve tingled in anticipation for she had no doubt that he would be here as well. He may not have treated her well but he was a hero nevertheless and probably belonged here more than she, a daughter of Atlas, did.

Some small part of her noticed that Elysium was even more beautiful than her wildest dreams had suggested. The streets seemed to mould themselves to her ideals of perfection and whichever house she cared to approach had its doors automatically thrown open in welcome. There were flowers all around, arranged in patterns reminiscent of the Garden of the Hesperides. Delicious smells that made her mouth water wafted over and she could hear laughter from further within the complex.

Suddenly, her senses were on high alert. Her mouth was dry and her pulse quickened. She could feel a slightly smaller version of Ladon dancing in her stomach.

With small, reluctant steps she turned to face him, arms crossed protectively in front of her chest. She was prepared for the sight of his handsome face to hurt her but strangely enough she felt nothing. He took a step closer, bridging the distance between them so that their arms brushed against each others. A slow, lazy spark moved along the length of her arm but she ignored it.

"Hercules."

"Zoe. I've been waiting for you."

She raised an eyebrow at that but made no comment.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

She tilted her chin up haughtily and said frostily, "Thy language does thee no credit."

For a second he looked baffled. Then he laughed and another image presented itself before her.

It was a moonlit night and the same loud, confident sound echoed through her sisters' garden as she begged the man she was hopelessly infatuated with not to pursue his quest. Reluctantly, she parted with the only treasure she possessed, the only thing she called her own. Everything else around her, even the clothes on her back belonged to her sisters as well.

"Ah, Zoe," he chided gently, "Still hanging on to the past?"

She bit her lip. He caught the small betrayal of her nervousness and stepped forward. Instinctively, she recoiled. He ignored her expression and took her hands in his, stroking them gently.

"Zoe," he repeated, as though he could not quite believe that she was truly standing before him.

Indignation flared through the former Huntress. She had sacrificed far more than he had. She had every right to Elysium. He was the one who did not belong.

She snatched her hands away, and said harshly, "What do you want?"

His face was a combination of shock and hurt. Then his troubled expression smoothened and he said, "I heard about your… adventures."

He took so long to pronounce the last word and did so so hesitantly that her quick temper rose to the surface again.

"You doubt the tales?" she asked flatly.

He shook his head. "No, not at all. It's just not what I would have expected."

"What were thy expectations? A melodramatic suicide?"

His guilty look gave him away before he could deny it and Zoe felt the carefully calm façade she had built in anticipation of meeting him slipping away.

"How could you?" she almost shrieked, questions and emotions of centuries of hatred pouring out. "I gave thee everything and you never even mentioned me! People worshipped thee for centuries as the greatest hero that ever lived but they didn't even know my name!"

"I…"

"Yes, you," she spat contemptuously. "It was always thyself thee cared about."

"That's not true! What about the people I saved? Why would I have risked my life for them had I not cared for their well-being?"

"You sought their praise."

"You sought my love."

"It is not the same thing."

"Why not?"

Her eyes were cold as gazed at him. She felt the fading vestiges of her Lady's blessing flowing through her. "You did not deserve it."

"And you did?" he countered.

"Yes," she answered simply.

After centuries of wondering whether she had not been good enough for him, telling him that she was his superior felt so good.

Hercules' eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

She smiled. It was a slow, infuriating curve of her lips. Zoe sighed, as though she had far better things to do than listen to his weak protest.

"It was your attitude that drove me away," he said suddenly, "That needy, clingy, pathetic creature that lives behind your mask disgusted me. You always needed someone to lean on, didn't you, Zoe? You couldn't survive on your own. First, it was your sisters, then me. And now you leech off Lady Artemis' power."

Zoe opened her mouth to protest but no sound emerged. His words hit her like vicious blows, each striking its mark.

Feeling her eyes moisten, she looked away. A mansion stood there, towering above all the rest in sheer magnificence. As she stared, the house grew a moat and a small boat awaited her. A man stood in it, holding the oar.

Immediately, Zoe _knew_ with absolute certainty that he would row her to her destination. She brushed past Hercules and ran towards the boat. He called behind her back but she paid him no heed. The ground between her and the boat seemed to stretch on. The old man stood and adjusted the folds of his voluminous cloak. He began to slowly pull away from the shore.

"Wait!" she cried, but he didn't pay her any attention.

Zoe tried to run faster but the more she hurried the greater the distance between them grew. She tried to use the last of Artemis' power that still remained within her to move faster. However, when she tried to draw on it, she heard her Lady's voice instead. _He shall not abandon you._

Years of obeying that voice left her with little choice except to slow down. Before her brain even processed the words, her feet had slowed down to a walk. The man immediately stopped rowing and waited.

She reached the edge of the moat, which now looked more like a sea. The house seemed immeasurably distant. With a little hop, she clambered into the boat in an undignified heap. Flushing slightly under the boatman's hard stare, she straightened up and sat down primly, with her hands on her knees.

Without a word, the man began to row once again. Zoe caught a glimpse of an expensive Italian suit under his bulky overcoat as the wind blew softly.

She thought she heard someone behind her but didn't turn. It could only be Hercules and she had no desire to see him ever again. One meeting had been enough to squash the slight, lingering hope in her heart that something might still be possible between them. She resolutely looked forward.

The boatman sighed.

They travelled through the calm water for hours, yet they never seemed any closer to the house. Finally, Zoe succumbed to the temptation of looking back and saw that the boat was still tied to the shore.

"Excuse me," she suggested, struggling to hold back her temper, "We should unfasten the rope first."

Without waiting for a reply from the boatman, she leaned forward and began to untie the knot that held them back. A soft hand was laid upon hers and she looked up to see her sisters standing there.

"Forgive us," they begged.

Zoe's mind reeled. Her sisters' were Hesperides, chained forever to the garden that was their home and prison. How could they be here, in Elysium?

"Come home with us," added one of them, the youngest and her favorite.

"We forgive thee," said another softly.

With a jerk, Zoe freed her hand and tugged hard at the rope. It gave way with surprising ease and the boatman began to row her away from the shore and her family.

"You do not seek forgiveness?" questioned the boatman, speaking for the first time. His voice was smooth and soothing rather than the gruff tone she had expected.

"No."

He stopped rowing and waited for her to elaborate. Zoe reluctantly spoke, realizing that he would not let her proceed any further unless she did so.

"I don't need their forgiveness."

"Why?"

"I have done nothing to be ashamed of."

With another long-suffering sigh, the boatman turned away from her and continued to row silently. It seemed to Zoe that days passed in silence as they sat together on the rickety boat, one quietly rowing, the other lost in her thoughts.

As they neared the house, she noticed small isles that dotted the horizon near it. "What are they?" asked Zoe curiously.

"An extension of the Fields of Punishment," replied the boatman with a nasty grin, "They were getting too overcrowded on the mainland so we shifted a few… special candidates here."

"Including me."

The boatman shrugged and turned back to face his oar. Zoe took a deep breath of the salt-tinged sea air and promised herself that she would not panic. If she had to face an eternity of torture so be it. She would not face it with the reluctance of a daughter of Atlas but the cool confidence of a Hunter.

But she did start paying closer attention to the islands they passed. On one she noticed a thick forest that was crawling with cats and a man among them, exasperatedly shouting, "Here kitty, kitty! Damn it, where is that dratted cat?"

On another was a beautiful orchard, filled with the most delicious looking fruits she had ever seen. In the center of the land was a lake glimmering softly in the light of the setting sun. A man stood in it, scowling in frustration. He reached out to grab an apple, but it wriggled away from him. Try as he would, he could not step out of the lake to capture it and settled for glowering in its direction.

"Tantalus," she whispered.

"Yeah," said the boatman, without turning, "Quite the celebrity, isn't he? But you've got to give him credit, he never does give up."

She resumed her study of the islands and with each sight she saw, the invisible ball in her stomach clenched tighter.

"I do not deserve this," she thought fiercely, blinking back tears.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw that the islands had disappeared. She blinked again, certain that it was a cruel illusion. Perhaps her punishment had already started.

The boat lurched violently beneath her and with a start, Zoe realised that the boatman had ferried her to the grand mansion she had seen earlier. It appeared to occupy the entire island, leaving no room for anything else. She turned to look at the boatman, uncertain of what she was expected to do.

To her astonishment, he too had disappeared, as had the sea they had sailed through. Zoe was left standing on the boat in the middle of a dark void, with the edges of her craft crumbling away. As it rocked perilously, threatening to throw her into the abyss, she hurried forward and knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

Zoe noticed a small, old-fashioned bronze bell hanging near the door. She tugged at the bell's chain. There was still no reply from within. At the end of both her patience and her temper, she kicked the door, pouring every ounce of frustration, hatred and misery she had ever suffered in the blow.

The door swung open at once and a beaming girl stood within.

"Well, now that you've left all the negative stuff at the door, you may enter," she said cheerfully.

"B – Bianca?"

"C'mon Zoe, let's get Elysium's newest party started!"

"But Hercules…"

"Oh him," said Bianca in a disgusted tone. "I knew the guy was a jerk ever since I heard what he did to you but…"

"You knew?" interrupted Zoe.

Bianca nodded a little guiltily. "Phoebe told me."

The former Lieutenant nodded stiffly and motioned for her to continue.

"But," said Bianca, triumphantly, "You weren't the only one he tricked!"

When Zoe continued to look blank, the other girl added, "He pissed my Dad off."

"Lord Hades?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't really his smartest move. He's been in the Fields of Punishment ever since. I've heard his bit looks a little like Elysium but he keeps wandering through it all alone, 'cause he can't be trusted around people. Did you bump into him on your way in? I'm sorry, but the only path to Elysium is through the Fields."

Zoe stepped past the threshold gingerly, as though she expected to be told to get out any second. "He is in the Fields of Punishment and I am in Elysium?" she said slowly.

"You both got what you deserved. I hope Charon didn't try to freak you out too much on the way here. Some of the other people here told me that they had to go through a couple of tests and stuff to see if they were worthy of being here but I got a free pass since this is technically my realm too."

"I want to apologize, Bianca. I was your leader. I should have saved thee."

The dark haired girl shrugged. "I did what I had to do to help you guys. It was my decision, Zoe."

Her final chains loosened with that sentence and Zoe proudly strode into Elysium, every inch the Lieutenant of Artemis.

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_If anyone else has been having problems with FFN try this: _

_When you get to the error page, go to the URL and try deleting the word "property" and replacing it with "content". This worked like a charm for me (obviously, as I wouldn't be posting this if it had failed). Of course, this only works for the "Type 2" error. I actually haven't run into anything else._

_Just spreading the word :)_


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